Surrey’s ‘land matching’ farm pilot project grows region-wide

An agricultural “land matching” pilot project with roots in Surrey is growing in the rest of Metro Vancouver, too, thanks in part to investment from federal and provincial governments.

The goal of the project is to connect new farmers with those who have fertile land in the relatively expensive southwest corner of B.C. Think Craigslist, for farming.

With $25,000 in joint funding for 2018, the government investment announced recently “will help create opportunities for young and beginning farmers, leading to economic growth and helping to strengthen our middle class,” according to Lawrence MacAulay, federal minister of agriculture and agri-foods.

Regionally, the pilot program has been operating since 2016.

In Surrey last February, a website called farmableNOW.ca was launched by the City of Surrey and Young Agrarians as a “land-linking” portal focused on farming, with hopes of changing the city’s agricultural future for the better.

In addition to helping connect farmers with people leasing out agricultural land, the website also provides resources, including how to create a business plan, and connects newbies to companies that deal in things like equipment, fertilizer and seed.

“It’s a way to link people not just to land, but to link people to all of the pieces of the industry they will need,” Mike Bose, a fouth-generation Surrey farmer, said at the time.

The Metro Vancouver-wide project will be led by Young Agrarians in partnership with Farm Folk City Folk Society, in collaboration with Quebec’s L’ARTERRE.

“My mandate includes getting more young people farming, and making sure that they have the land to farm on through projects like the Metro Vancouver land-matching project is an essential first step,” stated Lana Popham, B.C.’s minister of agriculture.

The pilot project in Surrey matched new farmer Roger Woo with David Feldhaus, a local land owner.

“Woo, a former chef with a passion for local, organically grown and sustainably farmed produce, was just the type of person that Feldhaus was searching for when he was looking to expand agricultural activity on his farmland,” according to the release.

“Through the land-matching program, I’ve been able to find a supportive land owner who has agreed to let me farm his land. I came to this process with my farm dream, and have received step-by-step support to make it a reality.”